Second Chances: Simon & Simon Generation Next?
by jtbwriter
Summary: Against their parents wishes, Ricky and Ceci Simon talk their father and Uncle Rick into teaching them some of the “tricks” of the detective trade to combat a campus crime. Will a little knowledge prove to be a dangerous thing? Dedicated to Beth T and M
1. Chapter 1

Second Chances: Simon & Simon, Generation Next

Against their parents wishes, Ricky and Ceci Simon talk their father and Uncle Rick into teaching them some of the "tricks" of the detective trade to combat a campus crime. Will a little knowledge prove to be a dangerous thing?

(The characters of Simon & Simon/Six Millon Dollar Man/Bionic Woman are owned by Universal Studios and no profit will be made from them. All original characters are owned by me and no...you can't have them!)

"Two, four, six, eight….who do we appreciate…Simon, Simon, yeah, Simon!" The cheerleaders raised their voices and pom-poms as Ricky Simon came off the court, having played his last basketball game. Taking a seat on the bench, he turned red as he heard his name being chanted by the seniors in the student section.

"Yeah, Ricky!" The cheering section in the bleachers grew more boisterous as Linda and A.J. Simon took turns snapping pictures and wiping their eyes. As the clock wound down and the buzzer went off, the Phoenix Broncos celebrated another win.

"I can't believe it, our Ricky graduating in just a few months, A.J…." Linda put her camera down, then blew her nose. Her husband just shook his head, pretending he wasn't caught up in the moment.

"Honey, he's not leaving home just yet….we'll have his big feet and appetite around for a long time." He teased, provoking a chuckle from his brother.

"That's right, hon….here he comes…" Rick patted her back, then stood up to give a high five to Ricky. "Way to go, champ!"

"Thanks, Uncle Rick….but I spent more time warming the bench then playing…" the 17 year old protested…red staining his cheeks.

"Nonsense, you got some good time in….I'm just glad your class went out a winner…" Rick answered, throwing an arm around his namesake.

"I'll say, son." A.J. was so proud he felt he could burst at his son's modesty. "Can we take you and your friends out to celebrate?"

"They're all going to cruise, Dad….can we just go to Two's….I could kill for a Stinky burger." At that Linda burst out laughing. "I love it, Ricky..never change…of course we'll go there, let me find your Aunt and Ceci."

"Nah, you stay here with the champ…I'll find those two!" Rick snickered, knowing exactly where they were. Sure enough, as he left the school gym and stepped outside, he found his wife and niece in the school quad. Ceci was dribbling a basketball under Laurie's watchful eye, then pretending to zigzag around her to dunk into a wastebasket.

"Score!"

Both of them turned at Rick's call, then Ceci giggled as Laurie threw up her hands. "I give up, she's a better dribbler then me, Rick!"

"Nah, she's just had a great coaching!" he teased, hugging both of them. "Come on, we're taking the champ to Two's…I'm treating."

"Uncle Rick's treating…I want double onion rings!" Ceci laughed, running back into the gym.

"And I want a root beer float, double cherries.." Laurie added, dropping a kiss on Rick's cheek as she took his arm.

"Well, I want you….but I'll settle for a Stinky burger until we get home." He retorted playfully, returning her kiss.

As the Simon clan arrived at the popular family restaurant, Rick was grateful his brother had called in a reservation for them as the place was already packed. Several members of the team had bypassed the cruising party and were already at adjacent tables when Rick led their group into the dining room.

"Hey, Ricky….sit with us..." "Over here, Simon….we've got you a place!" came the calls from his friends. As Ricky started to refuse, A.J. told his son, "Go on…it's your last game after all….."

"Thanks, Dad." The relieved teen nodded, then slid out of his chair and joined his coach and some of the bench players at the other end of the room.

"That was nice of you, A.J….no wonder he turned out so good." Rick quietly told his brother.

"I had a lot of help…." A.J. replied, his eyes suspiciously bright. Before the moment got too sentimental, dinner arrived and Rick chuckled as his wife's root bear float came loaded with half a dozen cherries.

"Think you've got enough fruit on that, sis?" Linda teased, then burst out laughing as Laurie plucked a cherry out of the glass and fed it to Rick. "I'll have help finishing this off…thank you!" she said impishly, then kissed him.

"Auntie Laurie!" Ceci giggled, then grinned as her father shook his head. "Can't take them anywhere, honey!"

As tables slowly started to empty, Rick noticed his nephew take a trip to the bathroom, then disappear for a time. Several families had already said good night by the time Ricky reappeared, an upset look on his face. Nodding goodbye to the others at his table, he came to where the rest of the Simons were waiting.

"I'm ready, let's go." He said glumly, causing A.J. to do a double take. Wisely neither parent made an issue of his change of demeanor, so Rick refrained from asking any questions.

"Well, we'll say good night to you guys, " Rick told the others, helping Laurie into his truck. Pulling Ricky aside, he gave him a hug, then looked him in the face.

"Bench warmer or not, I'm proud of you….you did a good job. Now get some rest, champ."

A look of relief washed over Ricky's face, and he nodded. "Thanks, Uncle Rick….I appreciate it."

Over the next week, as Rick ran errands and helped paint his mother's condo, he didn't see much of A.J. and Linda or the kids. He got an earful from Cecilia when he stopped by to finish painting her mailbox.

"Rick, you need to talk to that nephew of yours, I've never known him to have a rough tongue toward me or his parents, but now..." She huffed, waiting for him to put his paintbrush down.

"Which one? The rodeo champ or the boy genius?" Rick grinned, waiting for the punch line. The frown he got told him there wasn't one.

"Ricky….he's become downright rude, son. I asked him to stop by after school and pick up some chicken I made for A.J.'s lunch, and he said he had better things to do. When I asked him to repeat himself, he hung up."

Rick was dumbfounded, even in his wildest days he'd never been mouthy to his mother.

"I'm sorry, Mom. Did you tell A.J.?"

Cecilia shook her head, and a worried look crossed her face. "No, son. I figured it might come better from you. You have a real connection with him, besides, I told Linda and she says your brother is worrying about something. I didn't want to upset him more."

Now Rick was concerned. "Sure, I'll talk to him, Mom. Maybe it's just hormones…you know he's always been so good. But that's no excuse."

As soon as he finished the mailbox, Rick drove over to his brother's, hoping to catch Ricky just as he came home from school. As he pulled up to the condo, he saw a tall figure slowly bouncing a basketball, his head down in thought. Under the portable basket A.J. had put up was Ceci, also with ball in hand.

Beeping his horn at them, he was startled by the look of naked relief on both teenager's faces as they glanced up and saw him.

"_Whatever it is, at least he confided in his sister." _Rick decided gratefully. Climbing out of the truck, he strode over to Ricky and Ceci and enveloped them in a hug.

"Uncle Rick…how did you know…" Ricky started, then Ceci finished, "That we needed to talk to you?"

"Instincts, and also your grandma has a bone to pick with one of you." Rick explained, then held up his hand as Ricky started to say, "Look, I didn't…"

"I know, I know you'd never be rude on purpose to her, but if you don't tell me what's bugging you, I can't keep her from giving you a good chewing out."

Ceci let out a breath. "You have to tell him, Ricky. If you don't, I will. I was there you know."

Seeing the trapped look on his nephew's face, Rick knew how torn he must have been to act up. "First, let's find someplace to talk, is your mom home?"

"No, she's at Grandma's. Melly's taking a nap and Robin's finishing his homework. We can sit in the patio." Ceci suggested.

Cutting through the condo, Rick saw that the younger Simons were occupied, so he followed the others outside and sat down in a patio chair, facing a nervous Ricky while his sister fetched some sodas.

"Okay, let's start at the beginning. Did something happen at the team party last week, or…at Two's?"


	2. Chapter 2

From the startled look on their faces, he knew he hit the jackpot.

"Uh, yes….how did you know?" Ricky finally spoke.

"You seemed to be upset when it was time to go home…did one of the guys give you a bad time…" Rick began, then his namesake shook his head.

"No…that I can handle. It was when I went to the bathroom, I had to wait outside and…a couple of the guys were standing around goofing off, when someone in one of the stalls dropped something. Ben, you know, our point guard, made a joke that somebody had the dropsies like in the game. Whoever it was yelled back that he only dropped the ball when it meant he'd pick up some cash. Then another guy ragged back that the point spread was too small to rely on a dropped pass, and the other guys laughed." Ricky wiped his brow as Rick swallowed hard.

"I didn't know what to say, Uncle Rick. Just then Ceci came out of the girls bathroom, and Ben made a crack about her "spread". I swore at him, then pushed her out of the hall and told him never to joke about my sister like that. I got out of there before I hit someone." He added, grimacing as Ceci told them, "I heard that bit about the points through the wall, Uncle Rick. I thought I'd better back Ricky up if he went off."

"Well, you did a good thing, splitting when you did. Now you leave it up to your dad and me, we'll get to the bottom of this. And never…" he put an arm around Ricky and Ceci. "let me hear that you are afraid to tell me or your folks about something."

"Uncle Rick…you and Dad can't go telling anyone what I heard…at least not without proof. No one will believe me and it'll be terrible at school." Ricky protested.

"Ricky, use your head. We're not going to go rushing in and accusing anyone without something to back us up. But your dad and I are going to check what this Ben said. Now, do you know who any of the other voices were?"

Ceci spoke up. "The one who was talking about the point spread was Brian Turner; I saw him go in when I came down the hallway. The others….I don't know."

"Yeah, it was Brian all right, and Jimbo and Juan…they were in the washroom behind me." Ricky mused, then his face lit up.

"I know, Uncle Rick. You and Dad can help me figure out who the other guy was, and we can figure out how to prove they did something to, well, change the score."

"Yeah, Uncle Rick. Dad said when we were old enough you'd teach us some stuff, Ricky's 17 and I'm 15, that's old enough." His sister chimed in.

Rick was dismayed. This wasn't what he had in mind. Hedging, he replied, "Tell you what, let me talk this over with your dad. If it's okay with him, it's okay with me about teaching you how to gather evidence the right way."

"Cool…thanks!" Ricky hugged him then gave way for Ceci to drop a kiss on his cheek.

"You're the best, Uncle Rick. Come on, Ricky, let's get our notebooks."

Rick groaned as the two of them ran back into the house. _"That wasn't what I had in mind, A.J. and Linda are going to kill me!"_

"They want to what?"

Rick fought back another groan. Here he had almost made his escape after telling A.J. about the incident at Two's, only for Linda to walk in. "Ricky and Ceci want to learn how to be detectives, so they can prove someone on the Broncos messed with the point totals to make money."

A.J. shook his head. "No. N…O! We can handle this..at least it explains him being so moody. And Ceci…."

"A.J…..don't even think about it." Linda interrupted him, casting a concerned eye at Rick. "She can read Nancy Drew all she wants, but she is not turning into a detective."

"Honey, that's what I was going to say…it's going to distract her from her schoolwork for one thing, for another it's too dangerous." A.J. attempted to calm his wife.

"What do you mean, too dangerous. A.J., all they want to do is help prove a couple of these guys did something wrong." Now Rick was upset. "I'd never put either of them in danger, you know that!"

"We know that too, Uncle Rick."

Startled, Rick swung around to see Ricky and Ceci, a determined look on their faces.

"Guys, this is a private discussion, okay?" A.J. started, only for Ricky to shake his head determinedly.

"No, Dad, this is about us. I'm going to be 18 soon, and I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions, at least about what's right and wrong. And it would be wrong to just

ignore what …well, what I think might have happened."

Moisture filled A.J.'s eyes as he looked at Linda. In the silence that followed, Ceci spoke up.

"Mom, you never hid from danger, or from helping Uncle Rudy or Uncle Oscar. Please don't ask me not to want to help Ricky, not after what I heard. For all we know, these guys might try to do this again! All we want to do is learn how to stop them. We've got plenty of time to have Dad and Uncle Rick teach us how to be detectives."

At that Rick started to shake his head, only for A.J. to clear his throat. "They're right, Rick. We taught them right from wrong, now we have show them how to follow through." He put an arm around Linda, who wiped her eyes, then smiled at their children.

"We don't have to like the fact you're growing up too fast, but ..I'm so proud of how you two back each other up." At that Ricky and Ceci ran to their parents, hugging and kissing them. "Thank you, Dad…thanks, Mom." Ricky sniffed, then smiled as Rick cleared his throat. "Okay, you two. You win….but….."

"But…" A.J. held up his hand. "You write down everything you heard…..then we do a little checking up on these guys. If there's enough information to warrant going further, then we talk to your coach. We let him and the school take it from there. And…."

"No going after them on your own, no confronting or trying to trick them into saying something, deal?" Rick finished, a firm tone in his voice.

"Deal!" Ricky held out his hand. "Deal!" Ceci covered his with her hand.

"Deal….God help us!" Rick grinned, then A.J. and Linda did the same. "Deal!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad, this is silly." Ceci groaned as she closed her eyes, sitting stiffly in her father's office.

"No it's not, it's a great way of concentrating on what you remember, not just on what you think you remember." A.J. explained, readying a tape recorder.

"Now, think back to last Friday night. When you came down the hallway at Two's, what did you hear?"

Listening to his oldest daughter clearly recounting what she heard in the women's restroom, then what happened in the corridor of the restaurant, A.J. had to stop from swearing at the insults she endured. Ceci saw his face, and after she finished, gave him a hug.

"It's okay, Dad. I know I look just fine, besides, Ricky let them know they're in for it if they keep it up."

"I know, honey. Dad's don't like hearing their little girl's being insulted." A.J. told her, then tousled his oldest son's hair as he came in. "Well, son, you both were consistent with what you heard. Rick, what did you find out?" he continued as his brother came in the room.

"Well, to be precise, it's what we found out." He smirked, as Laurie followed him into the room. At once Ceci got up and embraced her aunt. "Thank you for helping Uncle Rick, Auntie."

"No, thank you, sweetie. Besides, I'm just glad you and your brother are going to learn from the best!" she replied, returning the hug, then sitting next to Rick.

"Okay, sis, what did both of you learn?" A.J. asked, grateful for the additional help.

"Well, it does help to have a son in law enforcement, I must say." Laurie smiled, then turned serious. "Brian Turner has a clean record, but a nasty little gambling habit that got him kicked out of the Window Rock Card Club," Laurie explained. "Of course they didn't stop him from playing blackjack until he had a winning streak, then he was kicked out for "underage gambling". According to Robbie, his father has had to payoff a couple of Card Clubs to keep them from blowing the whistle on him.

Jimbo Lopez has no run-ins with the law, at least on record, but he's been transferred from two other schools in the area in 3 years. As for Juan Martin, he's got a good record, all A's, scholarship to a major college…" Laurie broke off as Ricky shook his head dazedly.

"There's no way…he's nearly been benched 3 times this season for failing classes. I know Coach reinstated him 2 weeks ago after he passed a test….but A's?"

"Wait a minute, Ricky…. He was in study hall with Russ Johnson last week, I saw them trading papers…is there a chance someone else is taking his tests for him?" Ceci broke in.

"Nice going, honey!" Rick praised his niece, then put an arm around his wife. "You too, darlin. Ricky, could Russ Johnson have been the guy you didn't see?"

"No, he's not on the team this year, he was going to graduate in January so he dropped basketball. But….he was there with his girlfriend at Two's…." the younger Simon said.

"Then that meshes with what Ron found out. There was talk of a large bet being placed after last week's game, and some bookie collected big time." Rick added, pleased with the new information. A.J. let out a breath and leaned back in his office chair. "But what about this Ben? Granted he was with you, son…..but do you think he could have had anything to do with the point fixing?"

"No, Dad. He's too into setting school records…I don't think he fits the profile, besides." Ricky explained, getting a raised eyebrow from his sister.

"Well, it sounds like we have enough to go to the coach and principal. The only thing is, we're going to have to be very careful until all these guys are spoken to, okay?" Rick gave Ricky and Ceci the fish eye until they answered "Okay!"

"How about we treat you all to dinner, for all your hard work." Laurie suggested, with Rick adding, "Your Aunt Robin would love to see you all, she's at the Heritage this week."

"All right, that would be fun!" Ceci exclaimed, and A.J. and Linda laughed.

"Okay, I think we can handle a nice dinner out." A.J. smiled.

Rick was glad for his wife's suggestion as it set his brother's family at ease for what they faced the next day. Making an appointment with the principal and coach was difficult until A.J. mentioned a possible criminal investigation might be necessary. Immediately Coach Kerita and Principal Jones made time in their schedules.

When Rick and A.J. arrived at the high school, they sent Ricky and Ceci to wait in the secretary's office while they went in. Finding both younger men nervously pacing, Rick decided to set them at ease.

"Coach, Mr. Jones, the information we have will not go farther then this office if there is any kind of reasonable explanation for what my nephew and niece have overheard. But somehow, I don't think there will be."

"I understand, Mr. Simon. You must understand this is the first time I've ever heard of anything like this going on at a high school." The principal spoke up, then Coach Kerita continued.

"While it does happen in isolated incidents in college, I find it hard to believe any of our students would have the knowledge to pull something like this off." He said in a quiet voice. A.J. nodded.

"Normally I would agree with you, but with all the temptations out there today….anyway I think you should hear first hand what may be going on with your basketball team."

Calling in Ricky and Ceci, the two teachers looked more and more uncomfortable as first Ricky then his sister reported what they had overheard.

"So you don't' know who the person was in the bathroom." Coach Kerita said at last, disappointment on his face. The younger Simons shook their heads.

"Well, I'm afraid I have some confirmation of what these two …make that three were up to. I got a call from one of our parents that Jimbo Lopez may have to transfer "for family reasons"…" the coach said at last, pulling out a piece of paper and quickly scanning it.

Just then the phone rang, and the principal picked it up, frowning at the interruption. Suddenly his face became stern, and he barked angrily, "Bring it to my office right now!"

Hanging up, he looked at the startled faces. "I'm sorry, but that was the vice principal, Mr. Hoff. One of your teammates," he nodded at Ricky, "sent a note accusing you of stealing money from his locker."

Before anyone else could react, Ceci blurted out, "That's crazy….Ricky would never steal from his friends. Someone must have figured out he was going to blow the whistle on them!"

Surprisingly, it was the coach who nodded agreement. "I can believe that….When did this note show up?"

"Supposedly Mr. Hoff saw you come in here and just "remembered" it was received this morning. I'm afraid I'm going to have to check it out" Mr. Jones replied regretfully. "I'll have to ask all of you to please wait here."


	4. Chapter 4

"Dad, Uncle Rick, I didn't…." Ricky started, as the door closed behind the principal. At that A.J. put his arm around his son.

"Ricky, don't worry. I know you didn't steal anything….this is just what your sister and Coach said, someone figured out they'd better stop you from telling what you know."

"Thanks Dad." Ricky choked, then drew his sleeve across his eyes and visibly tried to control his emotions. Rick seethed with anger at the sight, then managed to control himself as the minutes ticked by.

After what seemed an eternity, Mr. Jones returned to his office, a satisfied look on his face. Closing the door behind him, he cleared his throat.

"You can stop worrying, folks. I examined the note from your accuser, Juan Martin, then looked at the locker room security tapes of the day he said his money disappeared."

At the noise of surprise from the two teenagers, A.J. and Rick nodded. "I figured these days you'd have to have something to protect the kids." A.J. said.

"And the fact that Ricky reacted just as he did, Mr. Simon, it confirms his innocence. The only one near Juan Martin's locker was Juan Martin. I already called his parents and notified them of his lies. They are removing him from school pending a suspension hearing. Unfortunately, this means that Ricky and Ceci might be in for some trouble." Mr. Jones added.

"I don't think so." Coach Kerita interrupted hastily. "The only ones who know that Ricky and Ceci were here is Juan Martin, right? And your staff. So if anything goes down, we know you have a leak in your office, or …."

"Someone involved with the point's being messed with in our school's games." The principal sighed.

"Well, just to make sure there's no problems, we're going to keep Ricky and Ceci out of school tomorrow and Friday. That should give you and your office time to investigate this point business and Chief Johnson can investigate who your student's outside connection is." A.J. stated. Rick shook his head as both kids started to protest.

"I know you both can handle yourselves….but a good detective takes themselves out of the case, when it might hurt the investigation."

As brother and sister sank back into their chairs, Mr. Jones smiled. "Mr. Simon, it's nice to see someone who still likes being at school. I'll call our legal people and staff, and I'll also let Chief Johnson know what happens."

Relieved, both Rick and A.J. shook hands with the two gentlemen, then ushered Ricky and Ceci out a side door.

As they climbed into A.J.'s sports car, Ricky spoke up.

"Dad….thanks. You too, Uncle Rick. I never thought this would be so…."

"Dangerous?" Rick asked, then Ceci answered, "Risky. Dad, now I know why Mom was so adamant about us being old enough to learn about what you and Uncle Rick do."

Moved, Rick reached over and patted both his nephew and niece on the shoulder. "No, thank you…we just want you guys to be safe. But while you're at home, doesn't hurt to show you the safe way to do what we do."

True to his word, Rick and A.J. took turns showing Ricky and Ceci how to lift fingerprints, take notes, and research the background of a client and suspect. Surprisingly, Ceci was the better student at figuring out who a suspect was in some of their "old" cases, whereas Ricky was faster at research. When the two brothers got stuck, Laurie took over on things like body language and how to listen to a witness, drawing on her experiences. The younger Simon's "vacation" from school stretched to almost a week before A.J. got a call from Chief Ron. Rick and Laurie were finishing lunch with all four of their nieces and nephews when he walked into the dining room.

"Well, looks like school is back in, guys." Ceci and Ricky stopped eating and looked at their father.

"You mean it, Dad? What happened? What did Uncle Ron say?" Ricky asked, as Ceci shushed Robin and Melly.

"Well, after looking at tapes of your last four games, Coach talked to Mr. Jones and Chief Ron, and had Russ Johnson and Juan Martin brought in for questioning. It was Russ who broke down and told Ron he and Juan and Jimbo Lopez were the ones manipulating who scored what and when during those games. Turns out he was in deep to a bookie in Chandler and paid him off by helping increase or decrease the final point totals. Ron just has to nail down where this guy is ….., then he can bring the case to the DA."

Ricky let out a deep breath, then shook his head. "Dad, I know it sounds naïve, but ….I just can't see the guys pulling something like this by themselves. Who taught them to figure out the points spread? It just feels, weird."

"I know, son….but two of these guys have been messing with gambling for a couple of years. It's easy to cheat, but even easier to get caught on something like this." Rick explained, feeling bad for his nephew. A.J. saw his downcast son's face, and gave him a hug.

"I'm proud of you, son, for sticking with this. It's okay to feel bad for guys you've known for a long time, but remember, they made their own choices."

"I know…." Ricky told him, then grinned as Ceci added, "Besides, Ricky, at least we got to learn how to be detectives. So, it isn't all bad!"

"You're right, sis. Plus this way we can catch these two when they get into my basketball stuff or your art case." He teased, messing up Robin's blond curls. At once he looked up from his dessert as Melly yelled indignantly "Who, me?"

"Yes, you, Miss Melly." Linda came in with the older kids dessert, then pointed at her youngest. "What did I say about yelling in the house?"

"Sorry, Mom." Melly put a penitent face on, then giggled as Rick mussed her hair. "It's okay, Melly. You gave your brother and sister someone to practice on!"

Abruptly Laurie got up from the table, saying, "I need some water, does anyone want anything?"

Getting a chorus of no's, she vanished into the kitchen. At once Rick felt cold inside, and immediately he followed her into the other room.

"Sweetheart?" he said quietly, seeing her leaning against the sink, shivering.

"Rick…oh, hold me…." She turned, then collapsed into his arms. Instantly he wrapped his arms around her and guided her to a seat at the kitchen table.

"What is it, darlin…..are you having a premonition?"

For a moment she just leaned against him, then shook her head. "No, love, just ….just a bad feeling, like something's going to happen." Slowly Laurie calmed down as Rick just stroked her hair.

"Better, sweetheart?" he asked, then was relieved to see her smile up at him. She lifted her hand to his face and caressed his cheek.

"Yes, darling. Thank you for always being there for me. It's just so frightening when it happens….like a blanket of cold squeezing me. I'm all right, I just want to keep an eye on the kids for a little while longer." She said. Rick kissed her fingers, then lowered his lips to hers.

"It'll be okay, Laurie. Just in case, we'll take turns getting them to school and back." He replied after a breathless moment.

As good as his word, Rick and A.J. shuttled the four children to school the next few days, one of them sitting at the high school in the morning and one in the afternoons.

The day before the President's Day break, Rick was sitting outside of the high school when his watch beeped. Seeing it was his brother's id, he pressed the transmission button.

"Hey, A.J….what's up?"

"Ron just called, seems Russ Johnson gave us a bad name for his bookie. Apparently he's ready to give up the right name, and Ron wanted us there." The younger Simon explained.

"Okay, why don't I have Laurie come get Ricky, Linda already picked up Ceci to take her to the dentist." Rick reminded him. A.J. chuckled.

"That's right, Ricky kept humming "the Dentist" at her this morning. Okay, call sis and I'll meet you in 15 minutes at Ron's office."

Signing off, Rick pulled into the high school parking lot, then went into the principal's office and had a note sent to his nephew while he called Laurie.

"Of course Rick, I'll pick Ricky up then I can go get gas, I'm down to a quarter of a tank." She told him. "I'll be there in 20 minutes, by the way, Dad and Rudy were looking for you…they're on their way to Mom's."

"That's good, Mom's been missing Dad. I'm on my way now, I'll see you in a while." Rick started his engine as Laurie replied, "Okay, love, you say hi to Ron for me."

"Sure, darlin….be good." He teased, then heard her giggle before he disconnected.

Parking at police headquarters, he leisurely strolled into the visitor's area and snagged a badge, then went into his friends' office.

"Hey, Rick….glad you guys could be here." Ron greeted him, nodding at A.J. who was already seated. Pressing a button on his intercom, the chief requested that Russ Johnson and his father be brought in.

"I thought just in case that you two might be able to tell if the kid's lying this time or not." Ron explained. "His father claims he's scared of being a target, I think he just doesn't want to serve time."

"Who does?" A.J. smirked, ducking his brother's headlock. At once the door opened and a nervous-looking teenager came in the room, followed by a gray-haired older man and a man in a suit, who identified himself as their attorney.

"Sit down, Russ, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Redfern. I understand you have the correct information on the bookie who came up with the points scheme?" Ron directed his gaze at the teenager, who squirmed in his seat.

"Yes, Chief Johnson…Russ is willing to give you the correct identity of his contact, just as long as you provide him and his family protection." The attorney spoke first, then nodded at the younger Johnson.

"Uh, yeah, but, you guys got to know, Ricky's in danger….Morgan's furious and said he's going to make him pay for ruining things." Russ Johnson said, looking at Rick and A.J.

Startled, A.J. asked, "How did he know my son was involved? Who told him?"

"It wasn't me, Mr. Simon….it was Mr. Hoff….he's the one who said it was easy money, he made the bets with Morgan Ford…that's the bookie Brian hooked us up with." Johnson explained in a rush. Rick suddenly realized the name was familiar.

"Wait a minute, doesn't he own a couple of gas stations just off the freeway?"

"Yeah, that's how he and Mr. Hoff would exchange money, Mr. Hoff would pull in, go pay for gas and hand him the bets and the money, then pump some gas and drive away." The boy replied, then it hit Rick…..

"Laurie…Laurie's going to stop for gas after picking up Ricky….I've got to call her."


	5. Chapter 5

"You call her, I'll put out an APB on Morgan Ford and …what's Hoff's first name?" Ron asked calmly, then wrote down the information. A.J. immediately got on the phone and had Linda take the kids to Cecilia's. As Rick turned his transmitter on, he remembered what his wife had said. "A.J., Oscar and Rudy are at Mom's, tell them Linda and the kids are coming." .

Adjusting his watch, Rick called, "Laurie….sweetheart. Can you hear me?"

There was a burst of static, then Laurie came on. "Yes, darling, I'm at the gas station on Havenhurst, where are you?"

"I'm at Ron's…Listen, Laurie, stop what you're doing and take Ricky and go straight to Mom's…." Rick asked, then she started to reply, "Okay, love. Let me put this back in the pump and I'll get in the….NO! Ricky, take off!"

Panic-stricken, Rick bolted from the room, calling back over his shoulder, "Ron, you and A.J. come around the back of the access road, have Dad and Rudy meet you…hurry!" He could hear the screeching of brakes over his transmitter, and he ran straight out of the station to his truck, then started it up and peeled rubber out of the parking lot. As he drove, he heard an angry voice, yelling.

"Don't move, Mrs. Simon, or I'll take my chances with a dead hostage!"

Within a few minutes, Rick had driven to the back of the gas station, and he could see his wife standing just within the back of the service area, a man's arm around her neck. Just then a low whistle caught his attention, and he turned to see Ricky parked in the alley, trying to get his attention.

Quickly getting out of his truck, he lowered his head and ran to his nephew, then caught him by the arm and pulled him in back of a dumpster.

"What are you doing here…didn't your aunt tell you to get away?" he asked in a furious whisper.

"I..I couldn't leave her in danger, Uncle Rick….he's going to hurt her…" the boy said, swallowing hard.

"I know, son…..but it won't help if you get killed. You get in my car and wait for your dad and Uncle Ron….I'm going to get your aunt before Morgan hurts her." He ordered firmly. Just then the bookie's vicious tone came over his transmitter.

"You are going to do exactly as I say, lady….call your husband and tell him and the boy to get over here, or I'll put a bullet in your head…now!"

At once Rick pushed Ricky toward his truck and made sure he made it across the alley, then he rushed to the back of the service bay. From there he saw Morgan dragging his wife towards a phone in the rear office, and he pulled out his gun, waiting for him to stop.

As the criminal released Laurie so he could open the office door, Rick ran forward, yelling "Laurie, drop!"

Startled, she whirled away from her captor, only for Morgan to catch sight of Rick and snarl, "You! Simon, I'll start with you!" As he pulled a gun and aimed it, Laurie slapped at his arm, causing him to nearly drop his weapon. At once the bookie grabbed her and threw her to the ground, then turned back toward Rick, firing at the same time as Rick emptied his weapon. In back of Rick, several guns went off, then as the smoke cleared, he gasped, his heart in his throat. Laurie was lying on the floor in front of him, motionless.

"No!" Rick shouted, terrified by the sight. He ran recklessly toward his wife's prone figure, the body of his would-be killer draped over her. Angrily he pulled Morgan off Laurie, then saw that her jacket was soaked with blood.

"No, Laurie…sweetheart…" he cried, then his breath caught in his throat…she was breathing erratically. Carefully checking, he found only cuts and bruises.

"Rick, don't move her, just check her pulse. Missy, can you hear me?" Suddenly Rudy was on his knees next to him.

Rick gently touched her neck, and was relieved to see she had a steady beat. "Laurie, my angel…please wake up." He whispered, then raised her up into a sitting position and kissed her desperately .

At once he heard a moan, then her eyelids fluttered. "Son, I think she's coming to…" Rudy wiped his eyes as Rick put his arm under her shoulders, then kissed her again.

"Rick…love?"

Her faint voice brought him to tears, as she opened her eyes. "Darling…"

"Oh, Laurie…" he had no words, but bent down again and laid his face against hers.

"My prince…you brought me back to life,." She murmured, then moved her hand weakly to stroke the back of his head.

Suddenly a frightened look came across her face. "Rick….my back…oh….!" She cried out, stiffening in pain.

"Get me a back board and gurney, now!" Rudy turned and yelled at the knot of police and paramedics that had appeared in the background. Immediately two uniformed men ran forward, then joined Rick in carefully sliding a board under his wife's back. She moaned in agony, then gratefully grabbed Rick's hand as Rudy pressed a shot of medicine into her arm.

"That should ease the pain in a moment, Missy. Just hold on…." He told her soothingly, stroking her hair. As the ambulance pulled up, her face relaxed.

"That's better, Rudy….thank you.." she gasped in relief, then clung to Rick's hand as she was rolled to the ambulance. As they carefully put the gurney into the vehicle, Ricky ran up to the open door, his face stricken.

"Rick, love…let me.tell him I'm all right…" Laurie murmured, seeing her nephew. Rick caught Ricky's attention, then beckoned him over.

"Auntie Laurie….I'm sorry…I shouldn't have left you." He said, brokenly. Laurie shook her head at him.

"No, honey….you did the right thing, I needed you to be safe... I'll be just fine…now I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay, thank you for saving me…"he mumbled, upset, then reached out and squeezed his aunt's other hand before stumbling over to his father and falling into his arms.

"It's okay, son…it's over." A.J. comforted Ricky as Rick climbed into the ambulance next to his wife, then took her hand.

"All right, darlin, time for me to bawl you out now…" he told Laurie, then managed a grin as she smiled wearily up at him. "Yes love, anything you say."

"Anything?" he winked. A.J. groaned, making his son laugh against his will.

"At least wait until you get home, big brother!"


	6. Chapter 6

"So her sore back all these months…she had a fractured disk?"

Rick stared at the doctor in disbelief as Rudy nodded.

"I'm sorry, son….I know we all thought Laurie had arthritis …..the fracture was on the inside of the disk. It never would have shown up if she hadn't had the wind knocked out of her by Morgan's throwing her to the floor, it caused her disc to split open. But Allen's the best at this kind of surgery….I taught him how to use the selisium as a filler, so she won't have any more deterioration. She should be waking up in …"Rudy looked at his watch, "about 10 minutes. We'll know more once the inflammation goes down, but I think she'll be back to normal in about a month."

"Thank you, Rudy. I know how hard it was to let go of treating her, but next to you and Doc, I trust Allen the most." Rick admitted, continuing to pace. Even though Morgan Ford was dead and John Hoff in jail, he kept having flashbacks of his wife laying on the garage floor. As if reading his thoughts, the older man moved from the waiting room doorway to stop him in his tracks.

"Laurie's going to be all right, Rick. I need you to calm down so when she wakes up, she won't be worrying about you. You know how she feels about being an invalid….."

Rick took a deep breath, then hugged him. "Thank you, Rudy. I don't know what I'd, heck, what we'd do without you. When I think of her lying there…blood all over her.." he choked.

"Rick…stop that. Laurie doesn't need your pity party…" A.J. interrupted him, coming into the room. Rick stared at him, then sat down heavily, tears in his eyes.

"A.J…..I can't help it…he was aiming his gun at me…I told her to drop, but she hit his arm and he …slammed her to the ground! She saved me….but I thought I lost her…."

"But you didn't, Rick….so don't keep rehashing it. You saved her too, and you brought her back, remember?" A.J. told him emotionally, sitting next to him and putting a arm around his brother.

"That's true, son….she could have stopped breathing if you hadn't gotten to her so fast." Rudy reminded him. Chastened, the older Simon wiped his eyes, then took a deep breath.

"Thanks guys, I promise not to go borrowing trouble again. Now let me go see my princess." He said, standing up.

"That's more like it, Rick. She should be in her room now." Rudy smiled, then led the two brothers to the recovery ward. As they approached Laurie's room, Dr. Allen came out to meet them.

"Perfect timing, Rick. Laurie's just starting to come out of it, so go in and help her wake up. She's not going to feel any pain for a while, then the nurse will be in with her medicine."

"How….is she…will Laurie.." Rick swallowed, "be able to walk?"

The doctor nodded. "She should be able to start rehab in a week, Rick. No horseback riding or driving for at least 6 weeks, but you can get her out and about as soon as she can bear weight."

Relief washed over him. "Thanks, Doc!" he smiled, then went into his wife's room. As he sat next to her bed, Rick took her hand in his and kissed it.

"Rick?" Laurie opened her eyes, then smiled groggily at him. "I thought I was dreaming…. Did Dr. Allen operate?"

"Yes, darlin'….you're all better now." He whispered emotionally, then put his face next to hers. "I love you, my angel….I don't ever want to be without you…."

"Oh, Rick…no..I won't leave you, my love…you saved me..I was so scared, I couldn't even call to you, I was so afraid." She murmured.

"I know, sweetheart….but you saved me too….such a brave girl." Rick told her, kissing her gently. "Now you need to rest up, 'cause our family will be wanting to see you."

"They can wait…what I need now is you." She said, kissing him back. Just then there was a knock on the door, and Laurie sighed.

"Told you…" he teased. "Just wait until I get you home…"

"All right, Ceci….go past him…" A.J. rooted his oldest daughter on as she dribbled past her brothers and cousin Andy, then shot the basketball into the hoop.

"Yea!!!!!" Melly and the other cousins cheered, as the adults laughed. At once Ceci high-fived her opponents, then raced over to where Rick and Laurie sat.

"Just like I taught you, honey…Good play." Her aunt held up a hand and Ceci slapped it.

"Thanks, Auntie, you too, Uncle Rick. Hey Andy, best two out of three?"

Amid the pretend groaning and moaning of her cousins and brothers, Linda announced, "Time enough for that later, we have an Easter cake to cut!"

"Are we going to ride the wagon, Daddy?" Melly looked up at her father expectantly, but A.J. shook his head.

"Sorry, honey, but not this year. Auntie can't ride a wagon yet…" he began, only for Rick to interrupt.

"Yes she can, Rudy cleared her yesterday, right Dad?"

Oscar looked up from the grill he was cleaning. "Right, son. As long as she rides in the bed of the wagon and is careful, we can go out to the meadow."

"Okay, talk about me like I'm not here, why don't you?" Laurie pretended to fuss, only to get a kiss from A.J. and a wink from Rick. "Now that's better." She laughed.

"Of course it is, sweetheart." Rick picked her up and carried her to the family's horse-drawn wagon, already lined with cushions and blankets. Carefully placing Laurie inside, he hoisted all the children inside, then settled himself next to his wife.

"Okay, Ricky, let it rip!" he hollered, then chuckled as his brother called out, "Wagon, ho!"

"Daaaad!" Ricky laughed, then slapped the reins. "Okay Brick, Joey, giddup!"

As the wagon lurched away from the ranch, a solitary figure watched them ride off.

Sensing that someone was watching them, Rick turned, then caught sight of a familiar face. Dumbstruck, he saw a contented smile, then nothing.

"Uncle Rick?"

Hearing his name, Rick dazedly turned to see a surprised Ricky looking at him. "Was that….the Chief?"

He nodded, then grinned contentedly. "Sure was, son. I think he just wanted to make sure we were keeping up the traditions."

"_And we are, Chief….we'll make sure of it." _Rick thought, putting an arm around Laurie as they rode over the hill and toward their past and future.

Fin


End file.
